cal/alk and ph not sure if this is a problem in my tank...

[ilektrik22]

I thought that large of a water change would cause unnessasary stress to the system, I just added 25g (sump) to the system( display is a 30g) last week and had half my corals shrival up ( most are opening/less shocked now) my calcium has dropped way faster then I expected. I've been dosing with calcium for the last week, but evidently not enough for consumption.

 

[DonW]

I thought that large of a water change would cause unnessasary stress to the system, I just added 25g (sump) to the system( display is a 30g) last week and had half my corals shrival up ( most are opening/less shocked now) my calcium has dropped way faster then I expected. I've been dosing with calcium for the last week, but evidently not enough for consumption.

Like boomer said do water changes. 50% is just fine. Just make sure yor new mix is balanced and up to temp. Also takte a look at Mg.

Don

 

[ilektrik22]

thank's

I know that right now part of my problem is my tank has to re equilibriate after the fuge/skimmer/rock addition, so I really don't want to play with anything to much, until everything settles, I have been adding calcium ( trying to get it back up since it plumited again, I'm using the Calcium from C balence now so hopefully that might help more)and I will do a water change later this weekend, thanks

Also:
I was told by someone that ALK should be higher like 12 dKH, not 9.3 ideally like in sea water is this true? I can't remember the argument he gave but to me it doesn't make sence. thanks

 

[DonW]

8-10 is fine. Alot of sps keepers that are trying to push growth will run very high alk. Until you learn how to keep the tank in balance 12 would be a disaster waiting to happen. Water changes with balanced mix will get your tank back to normal much quicker and safer than additives.

Don

 

[ilektrik22]

thanks
yeah I'll wait with that, just getting water ready for another large water change. I'll post back once that is done.

 

[ilektrik22]

okay so i did my first "trying to replace my water" water change ( i know that 1 big one is better then lots of little ones, but I can't carry more then 5g upstairs at a time ( and I need to get a bigger mixing bucket!)

So it was a 5g, and will be doing to more ( one everyother day, once the water has aged etc)

my calcium is starting to come around, it's sitting around 350ppm, and I will be heading out to buy a larger mixing bucket once the snow stops falling.

Something occured to me....ever since the sump addition, I've been having all these problems with tank chemistry etc ( sps's, some of my LPS's etc dies ) it occured to me while i was reading another post that when i rescaped my tank ( day after sump attached to it) my pistol shrimp went a little crazy and between me and him we managed to stir up my deep sand bed...could this have been a contributing factor to my tanks madness at me?

 

[ilektrik22]

So my levels are finally

Alkalinity 9.9 (3.54)
Calcium 400ppm ( going to try and get it a bit higher)
pH 8 (fluctuates slightly but i'm not that concerned anymore)

Now how do I keep it at these levels

I will be doing weekly waterchanges

1.Additives? ( a & b)

2.Kalk/makeup water drip overnight?

what's the best method, a combo? or is one better then the other?

thanks for your help

 

[DonW]

So my levels are finally

Alkalinity 9.9 (3.54)
Calcium 400ppm ( going to try and get it a bit higher)
pH 8 (fluctuates slightly but i'm not that concerned anymore)

Now how do I keep it at these levels

I will be doing weekly waterchanges

1.Additives? ( a & b)

2.Kalk/makeup water drip overnight?

what's the best method, a combo? or is one better then the other?

thanks for your help

I'd try kalk first just because its one part already balanced. If you dont want to have to mix it up then two part is just fine.

Don

 

[ilektrik22]

Thanks

I'll try the kalk first, I like how it can be added over a slower period of time.

How much should be used?
I'm assuming it's dependent on the amount of cal used by the tank?

I'm going to start with 1/3 of a teaspoon in a gallon of RO water overnight, and I'll watch the cal and alk for the next few days. How do you keep the alk from getting to high while cal is being used when you use kalk?

 

[DonW]

Thanks

I'll try the kalk first, I like how it can be added over a slower period of time.

How much should be used?
I'm assuming it's dependent on the amount of cal used by the tank?

I'm going to start with 1/3 of a teaspoon in a gallon of RO water overnight, and I'll watch the cal and alk for the next few days. How do you keep the alk from getting to high while cal is being used when you use kalk?

The theory is your adding ca and alk with kalk and they should deplete at close to the same rate. Some tanks do and some dont.

Don

 

[ilektrik22]

Okay so my reading were as follows:

I've now started using 1/2 tablespoon of kalk overnight

Tuesday cal 400, alk 9.9

Wednesday ( forgot to write it down but cal and alk were a bit lower)

Thursday cal 370, alk 9.6

so this would imply that I should be adding more kalk to my topoff water?
( I tossed in so A solution to get my calcium back up today). Not exactually sure how Kalk works.

 

[DonW]

Okay so my reading were as follows:

I've now started using 1/2 tablespoon of kalk overnight

Tuesday cal 400, alk 9.9

Wednesday ( forgot to write it down but cal and alk were a bit lower)

Thursday cal 370, alk 9.6

so this would imply that I should be adding more kalk to my topoff water?
( I tossed in so A solution to get my calcium back up today). Not exactually sure how Kalk works.

Thats exactly what should happen. Your right, you will need much more kalk.

Don

 

[ilektrik22]

Thanks DonW

One more question...how does kalk react with water? interms of can I reuse the kalk or once it's used is it spent?

ie. If I mixed in 2 tablespoons with 2L of water, can I the same kalk and mixed it with 2L of water or does it lose it's potency.

I'm just not sure if all the "goodies" in the kalk are released into the water.

thanks

might seem like a silly question, sorry

 

[MikeS]

well, 2 tablespoons in 2 liters of water would be overkill, most of the kalk mix would not end up in saturation and simply settle out as slurry...the maximum you can go is 2 teaspoons in 4 liters of water, this pretty much saturates the water with calcium to the maximum.

On reuse of the slurry...I save the remaining slurry each time I drip a gallon of kalk into my tank in a seperate 2L drip container...once it's settled out, I drip that as well....all the slurry is still at the bottom of the container...I add 2 liters of RO water to the reamining slurry to "recycle" it....however, it only seems to work once...after that, there just isn't much calcium getting into solution with subsequent water additions...

Hope this helps...

MikeS

 

[ilektrik22]

Thanks MikeS

I wasn't sure how much calcium leaches/remains and wasn't sure about the water saturation point.

 

[ilektrik22]

So I've been adding the kalk ( more of it, and reusing it once) and have a nice steady 400ppm calcium.

Now my Alk is reading high, it's reading at 12.2/ 4.23 ( I tried it twice and the results were the same. Why would this be happening? I'm hoping I tested it incorrectly.

To get my calcium up I was using an A&B ( used the calcium only) I also add it to my water for water changes. In my water change water the alk is 11.6/4.23, I really don't want to have to bring it down ( it's IO). I've noticed since using the kalk my alkalinity has been increasing, I thought it was suppose to keep it steady, or am i adding to much kalk now? (adding 1.5tablespoon and the adding new RO water for a second night)

thanks

 

[DonW]

So I've been adding the kalk ( more of it, and reusing it once) and have a nice steady 400ppm calcium.

Now my Alk is reading high, it's reading at 12.2/ 4.23 ( I tried it twice and the results were the same. Why would this be happening? I'm hoping I tested it incorrectly.

To get my calcium up I was using an A&B ( used the calcium only) I also add it to my water for water changes. In my water change water the alk is 11.6/4.23, I really don't want to have to bring it down ( it's IO). I've noticed since using the kalk my alkalinity has been increasing, I thought it was suppose to keep it steady, or am i adding to much kalk now? (adding 1.5tablespoon and the adding new RO water for a second night)

thanks

Very few tanks use ca and alk evenly. Do you have precip on your pumps?

Don

 

[ilektrik22]

what would that look like?

I have some beige fluffyness on my sump return pump, but I thought that was more related to low flow. Really don't know what percipitate should look like.

 

[DonW]

what would that look like?

I have some beige fluffyness on my sump return pump, but I thought that was more related to low flow. Really don't know what percipitate should look like.

Precip is that white or off white hard stuff builds up on heaters and pumps.

Don

 

[ilektrik22]

Nope I don't have any of that, granted my pump is new, ( 4 weeks in the tank) but no percipitate.